Buying a SIM Card in Spain

Some articles on this site contain affiliate links, meaning we may be compensated if you purchase a product or service after clicking on them. Read our full disclosure policy here.

Lying on the beaches of the Costa Brava, enjoying free tapas in a Granadian bar, exploring the art museums of Madrid or the boulevards of Barcelona — Spain is a large, varied and fascinating country, much-loved by overseas visitors.

If you’re planning on staying connected during your time there (and can drag yourself away from the ocean, mountains and vino tinto for long enough) the good news is it’s cheap and reasonably easy to get set up with one of the local cell companies.

Here’s what you need to know when choosing and buying a prepaid SIM card in Spain.

Note: Spain is part of the European Union, which introduced new roaming regulations in June 2017. These “roam like at home” rules effectively ended roaming charges across much of Europe, meaning you’ll usually pay no more for calls, texts, and data in other EU countries than you would in the country of purchase.

There are some exceptions and limits, however. Double-check the details at time of purchase if you’re planning to use your SIM elsewhere in the region.

Companies

We recommend Vodafone or Orange for most travellers

With four cellular providers, plus several resellers, Spain has plenty of prepaid SIM options. Movistar has the best coverage throughout the country, although Vodafone and Orange aren’t far behind.

There aren’t huge differences in prices and bundles between the main four providers, but there is some variation. It’s worth spending a little time doing some research if you’re so inclined. Orange, in particular, can have good rates for data.

No matter which company you choose, though, 10-15 euros per month gets a useful amount of calls, texts and data.

How

I’ve now bought Spanish SIM cards a few different times throughout the country.

On my first visit, I bought one from a Vodafone store in downtown Granada on the second attempt, after being politely advised the first time they were about to close for siesta. Ahh, Spain.

There was a queuing system of some sort at work, complete with machine spitting out tickets, but as nobody else seemed to be paying attention to it, I didn’t either.

I was fortunate to have a friend with me who spoke Spanish, but suspect I would have got by even with my very limited language skills. The staff member showed me a brochure with the various plans on offer, and I picked one . After handing over my passport, it was all set up within five minutes.

I’ve also purchased an Orange SIM from one of the smaller official stores in Madrid, and a Movistar SIM in Tui shortly after crossing over the border from Portugal.
In both of those cases, the process was equally quick. It took 5-10 minutes to work out which package I needed, then configure the new SIM. That included extra time for me to horribly mangle my Spanish and generally confuse the process.

By law, Spanish SIM cards need to be registered. You won’t be able to buy one without a passport or national ID card.

Can't be bothered with the hassle of buying a local SIM in Spain? OneSIM topped our international SIM card comparison.

It offers phones and SIM cards that work in 200 countries, have free incoming calls, save up to 85% on roaming fees, and can be sent out ahead of time to let you hit the ground running. Find out more here.

Costs

With Vodafone, the best option for visitors is, unusually, the company’s Tourist SIM offering. For €15 you’ll get 2GB of data (sometimes more if there’s a promotion running), plus 50 minutes of calls to domestic and some international destinations, valid for a month. Other packages are available here, but you may need to add the cost of the SIM card — it isn’t always free.

If you go with Orange, SIM cards are free as long as you top up with a reasonable amount (usually 10 euros, sometimes a little more) at the time of purchase. Assuming you do so, you can then spend that credit on an appropriate package.

€9.95 gets you 1.5GB of data and 20 minutes of domestic calls. €14.95 gives 2.5GB of data and 40 minutes of calls.

Other Orange packages are also available, including some with better rates for international calls — check the latest details here.

Topping Up

There are a range of ways to top up, but you’ll likely find the easiest option is just to do it in-store when you see an Orange or Vodafone logo.

With Vodafone, other options include calling 22132, at ATM’s, online or via the ‘Vodafone yu’ app. You may struggle to use any of them without having a debit or credit card issued in Spain, however.

It is possible to top up an Orange SIM using a foreign card, and you can do so directly from the website. My bank decided to block the transaction, mind you, but once we got that sorted out, the top-up went through fine.

Get Us in Your Inbox

Get our regular email updates with the latest travel tech news, tips, and articles. We'll also send over a free 5000-word guide to get you started!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

No spam ever, and you can leave any time. Our privacy policy explains how we handle your personal information.

Coverage and Data Speeds

Coverage and speeds with both Vodafone and Orange were generally very good.

I walked a Camino de Santiago for a month across much of northern Spain with an Orange SIM in my phone, and there was exactly one time when I wasn’t able to get service. Even in rural areas and tiny villages, there was EDGE or (typically) 3G coverage available.

I had a similar experience with Vodafone in Andalusia. In and around Granada, I rarely dropped below a full strength signal anywhere outdoors, with HSPA+ data everywhere I went. It was faster and more reliable than the cable Internet at my apartment, and I ended up using it for Skype and online conference calls quite regularly.

Even when hiking for a week between Granada and Cordoba, signal and data speeds remained solid almost everywhere. I also had very few coverage problems on buses or trains anywhere in the country with either Vodafone or Orange.

Check out our guides to buying SIM cards in many other countries here.

About the Author

Dave Dean

Founder and editor of Too Many Adapters, Dave has been a traveler for 20 years, and a geek for even longer.
When he's not playing with the latest tech toy or working out how to keep his phone charged for just a few more minutes, he can probably be found sitting in a broken-down bus in some obscure corner of the planet.

Orange SIM in the Canaries Island of Fuenteventura. 10EUR (they have different VAT jere) got me a 1GB of data, usable for 30 day (I have a 3G MIFI so I don’t care about the talk/SMS part). Passport and about 10 minutes of “paperwork”. Got an SMS later saying I get 2GB, yey! Connection is mediocre at times, but better than nothing.

I’m pretty sure you can, but if not, pick up a SIM from Orange instead — I remember seeing that store in BCN airport, and prices are similar. It’ll work in your iPhone 6 just fine, as long as it’s not carrier locked (ask your phone company if you’re not sure about that).

I am on a tourist visit to spain for 10 to 12 days between this I will b on cruise which will touch the italy and france so I need a sim which can work fluently. Please suggest the better option. Should I buy a matrix services or buy any services like matrix in India. please suggest cost effective better connectivity solution.

I’ve no idea what a matrix service is, but given that all EU phone operators now have to offer inexpensive roaming services to other EU companies, I’d suggest just buying a Spanish SIM card from Vodafone or Orange, putting a little extra credit on it to cover you for the time you’ll be in France and Italy, and using roaming. Tell the person at the Vodafone/Orange store what you want to do, and they’ll be able to give you an idea of how much extra it will cost.

You don’t say where in the Med you’re going. If it’s mainly between EU countries, there’s now free roaming between them all (with a few exceptions), so you’ll likely be best served by buying a Spanish Orange or Vodafone SIM as mentioned above for the couple of weeks you’re there, and then using it when in/near other EU countries during your cruise. As with any non-satellite-based system, you’ll need to be close to land (ie, within range of a land-based cellular tower) to get service.

I’m going to Spain next month for about a week. Planning to buy an unlocked GSM phone before I leave (not sure which one). If I buy a prepaid Orange or Vodaphone SIM Card while in Spain, will it come with a Spanish phone number? Most of my calls will be to/from family in the U.S. Will I be able to call them and will I be charged for incoming calls from them? I am new to this and not particularly tech savy. If I buy the SIM at the Madrid airport what is the chance that someone at their store will speak English and help me get my phone working? Thanks for any advice

Yep, any prepaid Orange or Vodafone SIM in Spain will come with a local number (well, unless it’s a data SIM, when it may not have a number assigned). You’ll be able to call US numbers, and they’ll be able to call you. You won’t be charged for the incoming call from them.

I haven’t bought a SIM at Madrid airport, so can’t comment specifically on the amount of English spoken at the kiosks there, but it seems like one of the more likely places you’d find some degree of English spoken. I also found that one of the staff members at the Orange store in Puerta del Sol spoke reasonable English, if you don’t have any luck at the airport.

I don’t know, sorry — it’s been many years since I last flew into Alicante airport, and I wasn’t looking for SIM cards at the time. There seem to be plenty of Vodafone and Orange stores in Alicante itself, if that’s where you’re staying or travelling through.

Hey thank you for your useful information. .
I’m on a business trip to denia Alicante for 2 weeks .. and i might go to paris for the weekend .
I need 4g lte. What company sim do you think i should buy ?
Thank you

Hello
Canadian retiree flying into Barcelona and torn travelling up to the edge of France to walk the Camino. Not very tech savvy ..taking my Galaxy phone for taking pictures, listening to tunes, texting, and the other stuff..
Will someone help to install a SIM card ….and I will need to purchase a two month plan. When my SIM card is taken out of my phone, I will still have pictures, tunes that I have downloaded ????

When I walked the Camino last year (from SJPdP), I also used a Spanish SIM card, from Orange, that I’d bought in Madrid. I just put enough money on it to cover the data plan I wanted for two months, plus a few calls and texts, and it automatically renewed once the first month was up.

You should have no problem finding an Orange store in Barcelona, and I’m sure the person behind the counter will install the SIM for you if you ask. You’ll still have all your photos, music etc, regardless of which SIM you’re using. Buen Camino!

Either of the two companies mentioned in this article will be fine, but feel free to check their sites for the latest international calling rates to see if there’s a marked difference for the countries you want to call.

I don’t, I’m afraid — I just ran the text messages through Google Translate as needed. That said, it might be worth stopping by an Orange store and asking if it’s possible. They’ll be able to do it for you if so.

It looks like there are at least a couple of Vodafone stores in the San Sebastian downtown area. I have no idea if the staff speak English, I’m afraid, but I’ve always been able to buy SIM cards in Spain even with my (very) bad Spanish.

We are going to Spain and Portugal early next year for 2 weeks and will be driving around with a rental card that will equip with a GBP. So I am thinking I should have a Spain SIM card when we are not in the car. We won’t be making local or international calls as we can do that back in the hotel on SKYPE or Whatsapp. So the Sim card is more for Data i.e. google map. So what will you suggest? Our first stop is Madrid.

Hi Kathryn,
There’s so little difference between Orange and Vodafone for most travellers that it doesn’t matter which one you choose. Take a look at their respective sites (or just ask instore/look at the brochures) and pick a package that has enough data for your needs.

Unless you’re heavy users, 1GB or so should be enough for two weeks, but it may cost very little extra to get more. If a data SIM is noticeably cheaper, get it, but otherwise there’s no harm in being able to call and text with a normal SIM if you find you need to. Just don’t pay extra for a package with loads of calls and texts included.

I’ve been into a couple of Orange stores in Madrid — the one in the heart of the city (Puerta del Sol) is where you’re most likely to find someone who speaks English if you need that. The other one I went to required my best (bad) Spanish and advanced charades skills. 🙂

We will be in Spain for 2 months early 2017. I have my own Mifi2 Novatel. I will need to call in Canada and USA, with a Orange Sim Card, on my Mifi, will I be able to call to Canada and USA while my cell phone is connected to the Mifi?????
Thank you

This is extremely helpful for my upcoming trip to Andalusia, starting in Seville. I need a plan for three weeks in the big cities and the white villages. Most of the data usage will be for walking tours with Google Maps. Will a plan like yours work for me? Would I need to communicate in Spanish once the sim is installed?
I had mixed experience with T-Mobile’ s free international roaming. Could be very slow, especially outside the cities. Once the internet connection was lost, and remained so through the trip. I want to play it safe in Spain this time, and the cost seems very reasonable.

Hello
Thanks for the useful information. I’m travelling soon to Seville from the UK and would like a data only SIM (any network but Vodafone preferred). I’m going with a group so won’t have time to stop by the Vodafone shop at the airport so would like to get a SIM (the Vodafone Tourist tarrif or the Superyuser tariff you mention) in advance of my trip. Any comments on the best way to do this? As it is for a tablet, not a phone, I won’t be able to activate via SMS which the ones on the usual auction site seem to require. Thank you for your time.

It’s not something I’ve had to do, unfortunately — I’ve always just walked into a store in whichever city I arrive at. Unless you know someone in Spain who can do this for you and then post you the activated SIM, it may be difficult. If you’re with 3 in the UK, you get free roaming in Spain. Failing that, you may need to look at other international roaming options, at least until you can make the time to head to a mobile store or kiosk in Spain. Sorry I can’t be more help than that.

Just to let you know. There is now a company in Spain that rents Wifi hotspots, and prepaid data SIM cards, specifically to tourists and non-Spanish residents, that don’t require any contract.
Traffic options goes from 1GB to unlimited.
They are called Spain Internet, and you can find them at https://www.spaininternet.com
They deliver to the hostel or it can be picked-up at the airport.

That site doesn’t exist — I guess you mean http://spaininternet.net ? There’s quite a few companies like this, in Spain and elsewhere, but I don’t typically mention them unless their prices are particularly competitive. At €29 for a week or €50.50 for two weeks, they don’t really fall into that category. 🙂 Still, for short trips, or if the convenience overrides the cost, they might be worth a look.

Hey Dave – Excellent article, and I really like your responses to the various questions. Thanks!
Just an FYI… I bought a Vodafone hotspot in Spain this spring to use w/ my iPod Touch and my wife’s tablet. 29 euro which included 1.5 gig of data. Pretty good deal actually except for one thing. I bought it to use 2 weeks in Spain and 2 weeks in Portugal and was told by Vodafone that that wouldn’t be a problem, we’d just be on roaming in Portugal and would use data a little faster.
Turns out that was not correct. It worked great in Spain but not at all in Portugal. No roaming available.
Then, when I went to Vodafone in Portugal to buy a Portuguese sim they told me the device was locked to Vodafone Spain, that they couldn’t unlock it (they’re separate companies), and that I couldn’t use anything but a Spanish sim in it so I was out of luck. Oh well… just lived off free wifi from hotels, coffee shops, etc until we got back to Spain.
As much as I love my iTouch, next trip I’ll leave it at home and bring an unlocked gsm phone. I’m looking at a Motorola Moto Play or G4. What do you think?

Thanks for the info, Kevin! I’m surprised the Spanish Vodafone hotspots aren’t automatically enabled for EU roaming. Sounds like the sales rep would have been surprised too! It could have been a glitch, I guess, but it’s a pain in the butt when you’d planned to rely on it in Portugal. 🙁

It’s definitely a shame the Nexus 7″ tablets have been discontinued, since they were the right mix of size, price and quality for travel. There’s sadly not much worth talking about in the 7″ range these days, especially with 3G/4G. Maybe consider going up to an 8″ tablet, and check out something like the Samsung Galaxy Tab E.

Just got my first cell phone, Andoird unlocked, I’m 65, going to Torremolinos next month. Plan to drive from Malaga to Javea and would like to have a phone for emergencies and call friend in Javea. Don’t plan to use phone otherwise. Suggestions?

I believe the Crystal Media store at Malaga airport sells SIM cards from the major cell companies — if you’re only using it for emergencies and the occasional call, just pick up the cheapest package available. If you can’t buy one at the airport, head to central Malaga before you start driving, as there are plenty of cell stores there who can sell you the same thing.

Can you recommend a sim card (unlocked Samsung Galaxie) for a 35 day stay on Costa Blanco that will give cheap calls back to Canada data and text messaging. Last year we were not able to get texts.
Great site, thanks.

If you’re happy to use Skype Calling (cheap) or Google Voice (free) to make your calls to Canadian phone numbers, then any SIM card and package that comes with a reasonable amount of data will do the job. You’ll probably need to top it up just before the end of your stay, though, as most are monthly packages. If you want to call via the usual method, you’ll need to check with the various providers (Vodafone, Orange, Movistar, etc, plus the various resellers of their service like Lebara and Lycamobile) to see which one has the best calling rates to Canada — they change regularly, but the resellers are often most competitive.

I’ve always used an official store in Spain, just because they’re so easy to find in any decent-sized town or city, and the staff know all the details of current offers. I’ve used random phone stores, convenience stores, even a currency exchange place elsewhere in the world, though. It just depends on what’s around, and whether I’m buying a SIM for a major company, or a smaller service reseller that doesn’t necessarily operate its own stores.

Looking to buy a data only sim to use in my mifi TP-LINK M7350 for use in my apartment in Spain near Malaga, Fuengirola. Want data only as iphones can be routed through wifi for calls. Also for email and web browsing but most likely to connect up a Kodi app on a firestick to stream TV . Will only be there for 12-15 weeks a year on and off so ideally need a large 12-24GB SIM data only over 12 months. Seen that 3 did an offer of 24GB for 12 months last Christmas 2016 in the UK but i think the best you can get now is 12GB at £27.00 with the long 12 month expiry that i would like. Fibre not installed yet in the street in Spain and most neighbours seem to get a Vodaphone 4G router but you then go on contract for 12 months at 15 euros per month rising to 30 euros a month. My question is where can i get the best PAYG large capacity SIM – UK or SPAIN with which provider?

Unfortunately your needs are a bit out of scope for what we cover here, so I don’t have a specific answer for you. In my experience, though, you’ll get better high capacity data rates with the resellers (Lycamobile etc) than you do with the cellular providers. Whether you can get that on a long expiry plan, or switch to such a plan while you’re not in Spain, will vary based on the provider, so you’ll need to research that individually.

Hi , I have the same problem! I bought an apartment on a golf resort and I use IPTV. I am 4 times a year here on the resort, so I don’t’ want a contract and the regular speed of 3 mb is to slow for HD channels.

my friend who lives in spain finally convinced me to buy a spanish sim, instead of paying £5 a DAY for roaming on my EE plan, I can get the sim you mentioned and pay €15 for my two weeks there. It makes sense because Watsapp still works and that is important.

Vodafone (and several resellers) offer data-only SIMs for tablets and routers, although you don’t have to use one — any SIM will work. You’ll need to figure out how much data you think you’ll use, and pick an appropriate package for your two weeks.

Hi, we’re heading to Spain, Morocco and England for a total of 5 weeks. Ideally I’d like to get a SIM on arrival at Madrid Airport so we can get an Uber to the hotel. I’ll need some data for when I cant get wifi (Uber, maps and directions etc) and possibly a couple of calls within Spain and within the UK to arrange our pick ups with family. Could possibly survive with just the hotel wifi in Morocco.
What do you think would be our best option. An international SIM or local SIM?
Thanks

It really depends on how disciplined you are, and how much you’re paying for whatever international SIM you’d want to go with. If the cost isn’t completely unreasonable, you download maps for everywhere you plan to go and only use them offline, and are disciplined about leaving cell data turned off unless you really need to use it, an international SIM card might do the job for you at an acceptable price. Depending on how long you’re in each country for, though, you won’t pay much for local SIMs either, and you’d have more data to use, at the cost of a bit more effort to purchase them.

Hi Dave, I’m just looking for a local sim and have just looked up the Orange website for Spain and it isn’t clear. They seem to have two payg plans, Ballena and Ardilla, but you can’t see exactly what you get for each. I can’t see how to email them with questions, only a phone number. Do you have any contact details for them, or do you understand their plans?

This page should help — it’s from the English-language section of the Orange site. At the moment, it’s 9 euros/month for 1GB of data, plus 12c/text and 20c per local call. If you run out of data before the package expires, you just renew it for another nine euros. If you’ll be using a bit of data, it’s a better option than the Ardilla package.

Hi Dave,
Thanks for all the up-to-date info. We’ll be in Spain for 3 weeks, hiking part of the time in the mountains (Picos and Cadi-Moixero) plus time in Barcelona and the Costa Brava. I plan to get a prepaid SIM for my Galaxy S3, mostly for data but some text and local calls. Would you know which company has the best coverage for the rural/mountain areas? The 9-euro Orange Ballena plan with 1G data might be enough for 3 weeks but do I add in extra euros at the start to cover the text/calls? My partner will be using an I-phone but not changing his Cdn. Bell SIM card. If I need to text or call,, I would think that might be an international call, correct?. How do international calls to Canada, US and other European countries fit i with any Spanish plans and at what cost? Thanks very much for your help..

Movistar has the greatest coverage (and is more expensive), but Vodafone and Orange aren’t too far behind. I don’t know what coverage is like specifically in those mountains, but I had no problems getting service with my Orange SIM while walking the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain, including in some pretty rural areas at times.

Yep, you’d just add some extra credit when buying the Orange SIM and Ballena package, to cover texts and calls. You can always top up later if you run out. It’ll be an international call or text to your husband’s phone if he’s roaming with his Canadian SIM. Each provider has different costs for international calls and texts — you’ll need to check with whichever provider you decide to go with. Orange’s rates, for instance, are here. They’re quite expensive, so in general if you have data service, I’d be using something like Skype Calling (which can be to any phone number in the world) to keep the costs down.

Just a tip for Kevin M. – I had the same issue with Vodafone Greece, they told me I would be able to use my my SIM with no issues in Romania so I topped up my data the day before leaving. Low and behold, when I arrived I couldn’t use data so I messaged their facebook page “Vodafone Greece” (they seem to have one for every country). Within an hour they were able to help me change the APN so it worked in Romania. Their customer support was very helpful. I’m heading to Valencia later this week, hopefully they still allow tethering as mentioned in the article. Great guide! It’s my go-to when changing countries 🙂

I’m going to be in the Basque Country in Spain – in and around Bilbao and San Sebatian. I’ll need a phone while I’m there mostly for emergencies. My basic phone doesn’t have a SIM card so I’m hoping I can get an inexpensive pre-paid phone there. What are my options and how much will I need to pay? (I’d get a phone with a SIM card before I leave the states, but I alrady have an iPhone on order that probably won’t get to me in time for the trip.). Thanks!!

You can certainly get a cheap phone in Bilbao or San Sebastian, and stick a local SIM card in it (as per this post). As for what phone options are available there, however, I’m afraid I can’t answer that — it’ll depend on what models the retailers are stocking. Alcatel is a popular brand in Spain, for instance, and typically inexpensive.

Vodafone offers a “tourist” SIM with talk and a good amount of data, but its website states it will automatically renew after 30 days. Orange has a similar offering, also with automatic renewal. Assuming I do not need service for more than 30 days, I assume I should avoid these offerings? I haven’t been able to find more information about how to avoid the automatic renewal.

If you pay in cash when you buy the SIM, the company has no way of charging you anything extra after 30 days. I imagine it’s meant more as a convenience than anything else — in other words, if you top up with extra credit beforehand, it’ll renew the package for another 30 days, rather than you losing service or having to do it manually.

Dave: We are traveling to Spain from USA. When I buy a SIM card in Madrid (from Vodaphone or Orange) for 10 day use, can I have an option to add that my USA mobile number automatically gets connected there? That way, my children can call us on our USA verizon number, and don’t need a spain or UK number to dial?
Please advise. My wife and I are leaving next week.
We may buy a sim card for her iphone also.
Thanks.

Typically, no. The only way I can think of to make that work is by porting your US phone number to Google Voice ahead of time, but there are other complications with that and I seriously doubt it’s worth the effort for a short trip. Just ask your kids to use Facebook / WhatsApp / Skype calling instead.

I bought two Voda tourist sims, 15EUR each, one for me and one for my daughter.

Some points to note:
+ we had to wait 1.5 hrs in the Voda shop but once we got served, it was quick and easy – they even installed the sims in the phones and checked they worked.
+ in southern France there is no Voda network, so you roam to another network. Make sure to have data roaming turned on if you still want internet.
+ there is NO sms on the Voda tourist sim. We were astonished about no ability to send sms. You can still receive sms on the Voda tourist sim.

Apart from that, it has worked well, and seems much better value than other offerings.

Going to Spain for 3 weeks in April. I need data, talk, & text & plan to purchase a sim card in Barcelona. I’d like to take my old, unlocked iPhone 5 on the trip. Will I be able to purchase a prepaid sim card for this model phone? Thanks!

Hi dave we are planning to visit Spain Portugal and Paris in 2 weeks if I avail a sim in Spain like the Vodafone tourist sim or the Orange Mundo Sim can I still use my data and calls when I am in Portugal and france? thanks!

Headed to Spain on Friday. I have the advantage of having family in Madrid to help me with the purchase of the SIM card (so I don’t have to confuse things with my poor Spanish). I really appreciate the post and all of your responses to the questions on the thread!

hi Dave, great article and thank you for sharing. We will be in Malaga, Spain next week and would like to pick up an Orange SIM card at the airport. We will be returning to Europe later in the year (not to Spain though) and would like to keep the SIM card active.

Can you sharing your experience recharging Orange SIM card over the Internet with a foreign card (US credit card)? What did you have to do to get your bank to unblock it for the transaction to go through? Thanks!!

I wasn’t using a US credit card, but I just called the fraud hotline number on the back of my card, and asked if they’d blocked the transaction. When they said they had, I told them it was legitimate, and they whitelisted the company so I could try it again. It worked fine after that.

For some reason, I was not able to recharge using the Mi Orange app or on Mi Orange’s website when using US credit cards. I tried with both Chase-Visa and Citi-Mastercard. Both got rejected. I called the banks and was told that the banks that they did not block the transaction. Perhaps things have changed since Dave’s last top-off.

I happened to stumble upon another site (https://topup.orange.com/) and was able to top off there without any issue using my US credit card. There were no fees with using the service. I purchased a 5 Euro top off, and was only charged for that amount. Hope this helps other readers.

Is there a reason why you recommend vodafone and orange and not movistar? It so happens that the best reception in the area where I will be is with movistar, so it makes sense to get their card, but just wondering why you don’t like them so much?

Also, on their site I see that the prepaid plans don’t include SMS texts, just minutes and data. Do you buy the SMS txts separately?

If you know you’ll get the best coverage with Movistar in the area you’re going to, by all means choose them. I’ve used a Movistar SIM in the past and it was fine, just more expensive than the competition. Orange and Vodafone have good enough coverage in the areas I’ve been that it makes sense for most people to use them and save a bit of money, but obviously they won’t be ideal for everyone.

I presume you just pay separately per text message, but you’ll want to check that at time of purchase.

Yeah, it’s often the case that the major providers don’t offer great deals for heavy data users, and for some reason, prices in Spain are noticeably higher in general than the UK.

Where did you buy the SIM from? I looked at Simyo as an option last time I was in Spain, but at the time at least, their SIMs were very difficult to find in stores. You generally had to order them to be sent out to a Spanish address ahead of time, which makes them a non-starter for most short-term visitors.

When writing these articles, there’s regularly a trade-off between the ease of buying the SIM for casual visitors who are in the country for a week or two and may not speak the language, and the best deals. For digital nomads and others who tend to stay in-country longer and have higher data needs, there are often cheaper alternatives in return for a bit/a lot of extra hassle in purchasing.